JOHN Swinney has responded to SNP grandee Ian Blackford after he called for the party to change its stance on the unilateral disarmament of the UK’s nuclear deterrent.
The former SNP Westminster leader said he now favours a multilateral approach to disarmament.
In an article for The Times, he referred to the recent change in stance from the Trump administration in the US, saying it raises “fundamental questions” for European security.
He wrote: “When the facts change, careful consideration of our response is appropriate."
"There must now be a concentration of minds on a multilateral approach to achieve nuclear de-escalation," he added.
The SNP has a longstanding opposition to Trident, the nuclear weapons system carried by the UK’s fleet of ballistic missile submarines which are based at Faslane on the Clyde.
The party has argued the money spent on the nuclear deterrent would be better used elsewhere and that such weapons are “immoral”.
Last week, Swinney restated this position in the wake of the relationship between Washington and Kyiv rupturing.
On Thursday he was asked about Blackford’s remarks as he spoke to journalists at Holyrood.
The First Minister said: “Ian’s a very close friend and colleague of mine, but I take a different view on this.
"I think nuclear weapons have not managed to stop the conflict we are wrestling with in Ukraine, which has very direct implications for our own security and safety.
“I think we need to have the capacity to enable us to defend ourselves and to support the Ukrainians with conventional weapons.”
Swinney said he favours an “orderly” removal of Trident from Faslane.
Dr Rhys Crilley, an expert in nuclear weapons at the University of Glasgow, told The National that public opinion on nuclear weapons was clear – and cautioned the SNP against changing stance.
“Despite what's happened with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, people still don't think nuclear weapons make them safe,” he said.
“Public opinion across Europe, across Scotland and the UK, more people want rid of nuclear weapons than want to keep them, so I think changing that policy might alienate quite a lot of voters, would be harmful electorally, but it would also just be … a dangerous position to be in.”
Crilley added: “To me, I don't think it would make sense as a policy shift, but that's up to SNP members to decide.”
Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said the SNP leader is “not credible” and “all over the place in terms of defence”.
However, Murray's comments in support of the UK's nuclear weapons marked a severe departure from his previous position, which was aligned with the SNP on complete disarmament.
